Chevrolet Corvette C8 Mid-Engine Racer Coming Soon
Chevrolet still hasn’t confirmed the road-going mid-engine Corvette C8, but a racing version could already be in the works.
The new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8 is one of the worst kept secrets in the auto industry. Prototypes have been spied covered in camouflage a countless number of times, but Chevrolet is remaining stubbornly silent. While the road-going mid-engine Corvette has yet to be officially announced, it seems that Chevrolet is already developing a race car based on the C8 Corvette. According to a report by Daily Sports Car, via GMAuthority, French racing team Larbre has inadvertently confirmed the mid-engine Corvette racer’s existence.
During a news conference, Larbre team principal Jacques Leconte announced the team will run a Ligier prototype in the WEC LMP2 class instead of the #50 C7.R Art Car the team ran in the LMGTE class last year. The reason? The C7 Corvette is past its prime, and the C8 is still in development. “The story with Corvette is not over though. It was not possible to enter another C7.R in the GTE Am category,” Leconte said during the conference. “This car is aging and we would not have been in a position to secure a good line-up at Le Mans in 2018. It was also too early to enter a C8 as this car is still in development.”
Leaked documents suggest three powertrains will be available for the road-going Corvette C8: a 4.2-liter V8, a 5.5-liter V8, and a 6.2-liter V8. Allegedly, the range-topper will have an output of 850-hp and a pair of turbochargers, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet. We may not even see the mid-engined sports car break cover until the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, so it’s possible the racing version will make its track debut the same year, based on Leconte’s comments. We can’t wait to see it fight the Ford GT racer out on the track.
Original article by Martin Bigg at CarBuzz: https://carbuzz.com/news/chevrolet-corvette-c8-mid-engine-racer-coming-soon
